To ensure authenticity of a product, a label or mark is typically placed on the product or on a seal of the product. For example, a label or mark may be placed on the box/packaging of the product, a pallet used for delivery of the product, or the bottle/housing containing the product, and such label may be placed such that the label must be broken in order to access the product (for example, a label printed on wrapping around the lid of a bottle is configured to break when the lid is twisted or otherwise lifted to open the bottle). In the alternative, or in addition to a label or mark, a seal may be used, such as a cork, bottle cap, lid, or any other sealing mechanism, to ensure both authenticity and integrity of the product. These techniques may not protect against sophisticated forms of counterfeiting.
For example, a technique commonly used by counterfeiters is to refill an original container (e.g., empty medicine bottle) with counterfeit content (e.g., counterfeit medicine), and sell the counterfeit product as if original. This technique is also commonly used to counterfeit alcoholic beverages. For example, the contents of an expensive bottle of wine may be replaced with a much cheaper wine, the cork replaced, and the bottle resold. Depending on the skill of the counterfeiter, it may be very difficult to recognize that consumed content has been replaced or compromised until the content is closely examined, used, which may be after the point of sale.
Detecting tampering is of special importance in cases where the content itself cannot be marked, such as in products in liquid form (e.g., alcoholic beverages), and even more so where use of a counterfeit content may lead to serious harm, such as in products like medicines and food.